Layton adopts moratorium on new apartments

Development • City will gather information on multi-family and single-family homes.

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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Layton Mayor Bob Stevenson thinks his city has too many apartments.

So the mayor, joined by the rest of the city council, voted last week to impose a moratorium on the construction of multi-unit housing until the municipality can review its master plan and how apartments fit in.

The moratorium will not affect already issued building permits or current construction in Layton, the largest city in Davis County, with a population of about 71,000. There is no estimate on how long the moratorium will be in effect.

Stevenson  who began his first term as mayor in January and previously served three terms as a Layton City Council member  said that in the past two years, a little more than 800 apartments and about 750 single-family homes have been built in Layton. He thinks the ratio is out of balance and that there should be significantly more single-family homes in the mix.

"I do not believe Layton City needs any more apartments at this time," Stevenson said.

The mayor added he believes Layton "is well within the range of what is needed for affordable housing." He said apartment construction increased in Layton and the rest of the Wasatch Front because more money became available to finance multi-unit housing.

And experts in multi-family housing say factors such as changing career patterns, a desire for mobility and a reluctance to take on mortgage debt have created a class of lifestyle renters. That trend has led investors to put cash into rental properties in Utah markets, they say.

Along with a study of the number of apartments in Layton and their locations, staffers also will look at the broader issue of residential development.

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